PANEL RESCINDS THREAT TO FIRE CONTRACTOR

DERRICK STOKES; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Satisfied with the progress of work on the new Nathan Hale-Ray High School, the school building committee has rescinded its threat to fire the New Haven-based contractor completing the $14 million project.

But it wants to keep up the pressure.

"We were satisfied with the progress that [the contractor] has made this past week," said Lawrence Kennedy, a school building committee member.

The committee had been concerned that the school would not be complete by Aug. 31, the first day of school for East Haddam students. Aug. 3, the committee issued a seven-day notice to terminate the contract of A. Prete & Son if significant progress had not been made.

Committee member Nancy Mackinnon said it is probable that another termination notice will be sent to A. Prete & Son to maintain the pressure on the contractor to "work at the pace that he has in the past week."

The committee was concerned that the heating and air-conditioning system would not be completed before the start of school without a threat of termination. Workers are presently "balancing" the ventilation system to eliminate the problem of uneven temperatures within the building.

Kennedy said he doubts that the contractor will be fired with only a few weeks before the start of the new school year, but the possibility still exists.

"In the event that he's not making the progress that he's made this past week, we would have to terminate," Kennedy said.

Neil Prete, president of A. Prete & Son, has tried to ignore the threats.

"I think we're going to stay out of it and let progress [toward completing the school] take care of itself," Prete said of the disputes with the school building committee. "They're going to do what they want, whether it's right or wrong. If anyone has been harmed, it's A. Prete. They still haven't paid me."

Prete said he is owed more than $800,000 for the work that has been completed so far.

"I think we've billed everything except about $110,000," he said.

The $14 million high school project was to be completed by Sept. 3, 1993, but was delayed by several obstacles.

Prete blamed the delay on faulty plans of the project's engineer and the architect. He has said he will file a $1 million lawsuit against the town when the project is completed, to recoup money lost because of the yearlong delay.